October 2013

An Equity Profile of Kansas City Region

Overview

While Kansas City's regional economy is relatively resilient, inequities in educational attainment and economic opportunity for its black and Latino communities place its economy at risk. The process of developing this profile helped build a broader coalition for equitable growth that includes the Mid-America Regional Council (a regional planning agency), Kansas City Regional Equity Network, and Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Download the equity profile and summary.

Media: Racial, Ethnic Inequities in Kansas City Region Threaten its Future (The Kansas City Star), Racial Inequality Threatens Kansas City Economy (CFED), Kansas City’s Future Depends on Overcoming a Racial Divide (The Kansas City Star), Reducing Inequality Key to Spurring Economic Growth in KC, Expert Says (Kansas Health Institute)

Fast Food Nation: Why Higher Wages for Workers Benefit Us All

From New York to San Diego, thousands of fast food workers have gone on strike for higher wages and the right to form unions. Roughly three million people – disproportionately people of color – work in fast food, earning a median wage of $8.94 an hour. Better pay would not only benefit them and their families; it also would strengthen the U.S. economy. Here's why:

  1. Increase consumer spending. Every $1 increase in the minimum wage increases a household's consumer spending by $2,800 a year, estimates the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank. Multiply that by three million fast food workers, and the nation would see tens of billions of dollars in new consumer spending.
  2. Create better-paying jobs in low-income neighborhoods. Fast food establishments tend to cluster in low-income neighborhoods where there are few other employment options, including in poor suburbs. Raising wages for fast food workers would provide better employment opportunities, helping to revitalize neighborhoods while we continue to work to improve food choices in these communities.
  3. Reduce strain on our public assistance programs. Restaurant workers, including fast food workers, are on public assistance programs like food stamps at twice the rate of the rest of the U.S. workforce, according to Saru Jayaraman from Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. More than 80 percent of fast food workers earn less than $10.10 an hour, or $18,500 per year, which means they are eligible for food stamps if they're in a family of two or more. Raising the wage would allow our public dollars to go towards necessary investments in infrastructure and education, not subsidizing employers for low-wage jobs. 
  4. Raise the floor for all. Higher wages for fast food workers would put upward pressure on other low-wage industries that hire from a similar pool of workers, like other restaurant work and retail. Restaurant, retail, and service occupations are projected to have the largest employment growth in the economy, and even though many who work in these occupations have some college education, these are among the few jobs that do not require a high school diploma. Raising the floor for these jobs is an essential step towards rebuilding a middle-class economy.
  5. Create better opportunities for the next generation. More than one in four fast food workers struggle to support at least one child. Research from the Partnership for America's Economic Success shows that an increase in household income to 150 percent of the poverty line (roughly $14/hour) during early childhood can lead to increased earnings – by as much as $200,000 over his or her lifetime.

September 2013

An Equity Profile of Rhode Island Summary

Overview

Summary: This Rhode Island profile documents the state's rapid demographic shift and performance on a host of equity indicators. Download the full report.

Find other equity profiles here.

February 2013

An Equity Profile of Rhode Island

Overview

Our analysis showed that communities of color are driving growth and change in the Ocean State – growing from 7 percent of the population in 1980 to 24 percent of the population today – yet face barriers accessing quality employment. It inspired Governor Chafee’s Executive Order on Diversity, aimed at increasing opportunities for people of color to access government jobs and business contracts. Download the equity profile and summary.

Media: Study Finds Racial Gaps Putting RI’s Economy, Future at Risk (Go Local Prov News), R.I. Urged to Focus on Homegrown Firms (Boston Globe), Governor Chafee Joins Sustainable Rhode Island Consortium for Release of Reports on State's Economic Development Data and Conditions of Social Equity (RI.Gov)

March 2012

California's Tomorrow: Equity is the Superior Growth Model

Overview

Describes immediate and decisive action needed by California's leaders to increase fairness and opportunity as the state stands at the cutting edge of the nation's demographic transformation, growing more racially and ethnically diverse.

November 2011

America's Tomorrow: Equity is the Superior Growth Model

Overview

Puts forward a new vision of America’s future: lifts up the challenges that the nation must address to succeed and highlights continued racial gaps and disparities, reviews current and future demographic shifts, and suggests initial steps toward building an equity-driven growth model based on the innovative work being done in communities across the country.

January 2010

The 2010 Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Equity Guide

Overview

The PolicyLink Equity Guide to Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grants is designed to help applicants structure equity focused activities into their grant applications. This guide—an update of the inaugural guide released in Summer 2010 in preparation for the first round of grants—provides information on how regions can incorporate social equity into their applications for the second round of funding for sustainable communities grants, announced in early August of 2011. It was written for local governments, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), nonprofits, foundations, and educational institutions who are interested in developing competitive grant applications.

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